Gazprom to start supplying gas to Hungary over Turkish Stream in 2019

"The demand for Russian gas is growing in the European Union, despite hypocrisy of Western nations," Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said

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VIENNA, July 5. /TASS/. Hungary and Gazprom signed an agreement on gas deliveries to Europe over the Turkish Stream gas pipeline. First deliveries will start in 2019, Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told MTI news agency on Wednesday after signature of the relevant agreement.

Laying of the new pipeline is to be completed by 2019 year-end, the minister said. "Access to the new pipeline is an issue of national security, energy security and economic development, providing for diversification of Hungary’s power supply," the minister said. "Hungary should reach the southern gas corridor, which will offer huge economic opportunities," Szijjarto said.

"The demand for Russian gas is growing in the European Union, despite hypocrisy of Western nations," the minister said. Gazprom sold record-breaking gas volumes to Europe last winter, he said. The Russian gas company has already started building the Turkish Stream and it will make possible to arrange a new route of gas supplies to Europe through use of Hungarian gas storages, he added.

Bulgaria and Serbia already signed all the required documents for pipeline laying, the Hungarian minister said. "The pipeline will make possible to annually deliver 8 bln cubic meters of gas to Hungary through Serbia," the minister added.

The Turkish Stream project includes construction of a natural gas pipeline via the Black Sea to the European part of Turkey to be further extended to the border with Greece. The seabed section is about 910 km and the mainland section through Turkey is 180 km. The project cost was earlier estimated at 11.4 bln euro.